Anticipation

Tonight is a night of waiting, anticipation. There are apparently huge storms to the west of us and news reports vary widely--we might get a few drops of rain; on the other hand, we might get one of Texas' spring storms, which can be strong and scary. Jacob is to be here tonight, and he's terrified of storms. So I have my comforting talk all ready.
But that's my other anticipation. He went to a birthday party in my neighborhood at four--for one of his best friends, Collin. Collin's mom said she'd call me about 6:30 so I could pick him up. It's almost 8:30 and he's not home yet. I called about seven and left a message; called again at seven-fifteen and said I was headed that way--she mentioned something about bring him home, and I didn't want to grab him away. So I ate supper on the front porch, had a glass of wine, and sat out there a long time reading. There is an occasional breeze that might hint of a storm to come but no serious green sky or anything.
We sit on the deck so much I forget how lovely the front porch is--trees lush and green all around, traffic slow at this time of the night. A neighbor out playing with his toddler son, who used to wave at me but now has become shy. I half read half looked at the trees and enjoyed the breeze.
Jacob  is now home, full of himself, telling me how things are going to be done. Comforting talk be darned. I had to remind him, rather firmly, that I am the boss and he is taking a shower at nine o'clock. He smells of a swimming pool, but he had a wonderful evening. Lots more fun than staying home with his grandmother.

Icebound: Day Two

What else is there to say? It's getting old. It looks like pretty snow, but that's deception. It's ice, through and through. I admire people who walk on it--saw more pedestrians than cars on the street today. But I'm not even setting foot on the front porch.. I do not need a broken hip. When I should be doing things at home, all I can think about is the shopping and errands on my list that I should have done today. Jacob and I have spent the day "doing our own thing"--except for the Baylor game, he's pretty much been watching videos. I've done some work at my computer but nothing is urgent and engages me. I've read a lot and tried to think of meals for a fussy seven-year-old.
My adventure with the furnace this morning was a little harrowing. You may have read on Facebook that the temperature in the house was down to 66 by the time I got phone directions for fixing it.  So far, it's stayed toasty and warm--well as toasty as an old house with lots of old glass windows can be. My printer righted itself too. Both just required turning off and then turning on again, but I never would have dared do that to the furnace without the direction of a professional.
The outlook for the next couple of days is bleak--at best four hours above freezing tomorrow; almost all church services in the city cancelled. Cold temperatures. Monday not a lot better, and it will take warmer temps and some sun to melt all this ice.
Lethargy overtakes me on days like this. There are many thing to do, but somehow I just want to read or curl up in my bed. Hope my energy returns with better weather.
Stay safe and warm, please.